This episode is so good it is actually
hard to pick just one point to rave about but I think I'll start my
ranting telling you about the performance of Jeffery Combs. No
stranger to any horror fan Combs has given us many memorable
performances ranging from Dr. Herbert West in RE-ANIMATOR to that
wacky FBI dude in THE FRIGHTENERS. Always good, often great he
really tops himself in THE BLACK CAT by reaching in and pulling for a
performance so good that if it doesn't get him an emmy nomination
then something is horribly wrong.
Yes my friends, it is that good.
Long time writing collaborator Dennis
Paoli and Gordon have taken a novel idea and brought to life a
fantastic story of Edgar Allen Poe and his attempt to overcome some
serious writers block. Gordon really shows his flare and once again
proves to us that he is one of the genres best and most original
directors by bringing to life a wonderfully creepy period piece that
grabs your attention and doesn't let go.
Great writing, great directing and
outstanding acting. Pretty much defines what you should expect from
something calling itself MASTERS OF HORROR, don't you think.
I really think that the official press
release from Anchor Bay sums the episode up best, check this out:
What
do director Stuart Gordon, writer Dennis Paoli and star Jeffrey Combs
have in common? Besides collaborating on the 1985 horror classic
“Re-Animator,” they have now reunited to send shivers down our
spines once again-- this time delving into the mind of one of
America’s most revered and mysterious writers! From the
Emmy-winning Masters of Horror anthology series comes
“The Black Cat,” premiering on DVD July 17th from
Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Directed
by Gordon, co-written by Gordon and Paoli and starring horror icon
Combs in an electrifying performance, “The Black Cat” is an
elegant and a stylish thriller that propels the eclectic series into
the unchartered realm of biographic speculation. Just what motivated
the great horror writer Edgar Allan Poe to write such ghoulish
stories and poems? DreadCentral.com called this episode “…a
grisly but gorgeous gothic tale of terror,” while Horror.com
declared it “very well-done…bolstered by excellent
cinematography, great sets, obviously good animal trainers, and
nuanced performances by all the actors.” Accompanied by a litter of
bonus features, “The Black Cat” on DVD is an unfurgettable
excursion into the supernatural and the tortured artistic mind.
Edgar
Allan Poe (Jeffrey Combs) is floundering. Suffering from crippling
writer’s block, he’s deep in debt and when not taking to drink,
he cares for his loving wife Virginia (Elyse Levesque) struck with
consumption. He tends to her, burdened with the knowledge that he
cannot save her. But is it his wife’s slow, agonizing death or her
ever-present black cat that is steadily driving him insane? Unsure if
he’s been condemned to a living hell of illusion and insanity, Poe
will either be destroyed or inspired to create one of the most famous
horror stories ever written…
“The
Black Cat” DVD purrs with such bonus features as:
Widescreen
(1.78:1) presentation, enhanced for 16x9 televisions
Audio
commentary with director Stuart Gordon and actor Jeffrey Combs
The
Tell-Tale Cat: The Making of “The Black Cat”
Bringing
Down The Axe: Special effects featurette
Photo
Gallery
Script
(DVD-ROM)